


Cherishing a Promise

by lunaseemoony



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Episode: s02e13 Doomsday, Epsiode Fix-it: s02e13 Doomsday, F/M, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-28 16:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6336388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaseemoony/pseuds/lunaseemoony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor realizes just how important Rose is to him when a tiny bit of fortune saves her from falling to the Void at Canary Wharf.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cherishing a Promise

The Doctor kept his eyes open, no matter how much they wanted to ease shut. When he closed his eyes he saw her falling. The terror in Rose’s eyes reaching out to his as she fell towards the Void echoed through his mind even when they were open. A deep pit of nothingness sought to claim the only warmth he’d known since the war. He’d been helpless to stop it. Let go of the lever to grab her and the whole process stopped. Keep hold of the lever to save the universe and he’d lose Rose. Gravity was a cruel, cold mistress that treated everyone equally. Even the brave and bullheaded Bad Wolf was no exception. 

He’d cast off her concerns about the Beast’s warning as bluffing and superstition. In that moment the Beast’s words sliced deep, because Rose wasn’t just a companion. She wasn’t even just somebody that he’d loved. He’d felt that before. She breathed life into him with every laugh, every show of blind bravery, every ounce of trust she placed in him, with her hand in his and a promise of forever. He knew she meant it, and after the second time returning to him he understood it was a commitment. 

Rose became the little spark in his chest that set his hearts ablaze. When she fell, everything went cold. An icy chill stung his skin when she hit the wall and the floor with a sickly thud. As he ran to her he went through a list of what he’d give to have been able to catch her or break her fall. It would be endless. 

He could barely make his hands work, and his legs wobbled like a newborn giraffe’s as he struggled to heave her up off the cold white floor. He knew there was an easier way to get her to the TARDIS without carrying her limp body down several flights of stairs, but his mind wasn’t in working order. It operated on single track where the end of the line was seeing her open her eyes and smile at him. 

For hours he’d been settling for a heartbeat and slow breaths. He began at the side of the bed on a stool staring down her monitor. He took her hand and cradled it between his. Soon his head found its way to her chest to drown out all sounds but the soothing song of steady heartbeats whispering promises of hope in his ear. He couldn’t help but crawl into bed with her and spoon up next to her, one arm and leg stretched out over her to protect her from the cruel universe. Her soft heart along with her warmth sought to overwhelm him. He gave in at the behest of vanilla, honeysuckle, and chips flooding his nose and hearts. 

As he dampened her blue jumper with his tears he swore to her that he’d never take her or her promise for granted. He aimed to cherish it, because who knew how long forever was? All he knew was on that day it became a lot longer, and he would make certain she knew how grateful he was. When she opened her eyes and breathed relief and life into him again he told her so.


End file.
